Washing-rubber.



Patent'ed -0ct. 22,v |901.

L. C. GERKEN. l WASHING RUBBER. (Application med July 31, 1901.1

(No Model.)

Nirnn STATES PATENTl Ormes.

LOUIS O. GERKEN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

WASHING-RUBBER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 68 5,041, dated October22, 1901.

l Application tiled July 3l, 1901. Serial No. 70,334. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may 00u/cern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS C. GERKEN, a citizen of the United States,anda resident of New York, in the county of New York and State of NewYork,have made and invented certain new and useful Improvements inVashing- Rubbers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in washing-rubbers employed inconnection with bottle-washing machines-such, for instance, as shown anddescribed in Letters Patent No. 329,390, dated October 27, 1885, andgranted to J. M. and W. G. Hoyt-the object being to provide a device ofthis kind which shall retain all the advantages possessed by articles ofa like character and which at the same time shall be so constructed thatits wearing and lasting qualities will be greatly enhanced.

With these and other ends in view my in vention consists in certainnovel features hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of myimproved washingrubber. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of thesame, taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on` the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

As is well known to the users of these washing-rubbers, rubber hasproved to be the best material out of which to manufacture the washers,principally because of its yielding and cleansing qualities. The greatobjection, however, urged against these washing-rubbers is the fact thatthey last but a short while, the average length of life of one of therubbers being from three to five hours, after which they become unfitfor further use and are thrown away or discarded. After repeatedexperiments I have found that these washers may be greatly improved bythe addition of cloth or fabric to the rubber, the fabric being soarranged orcombined with the latter that it will presentits edge oredges to the wearing side or sides of the article in that while theelasticity is retained its life at the same time will be materiallyincreased or lengthened.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the washer, consisting of thetwo arms B C, preferably joined together by the connecting web or stripD. These arms are molded or formed with recesses a, into which fit thesprings of the bottlewasher-such, forinstance,as those shown in DesignLetters Patent granted to me October 25, 1898, and numbered 29,540.Within these arms, and preferably molded therein, are the strips ofcloth or fabric b, one above and one below the opening co, the strips offabric being so placed or arranged that the edges thereof will bepresented to the outer sides or surfaces of the arms, which surfacescome in contact with the inner surface of the bottle during the washingor cleasing operation.

It will of course be understood that while I prefer to use two strips orpieces of cloth or fabric in each of the arms B O one strip or pieceonly may be employed, the article, however, being much more effectivewhen two or more are used by reason of the fact that the washersoftentimes wearunevenly.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A washing-rubber of the character described, consisting of two armsjoined together and made of rubber, and containing cloth or fabric, thelatter being so placed or arranged as to present its edge to thewearing-surface of the article, substantially as v described.

2. A washing-rubber of the character described, consisting of two armsjoined together, and made of rubber, each of said arms being providedwith a hole or opening, and strips of cloth or fabric contained in eachof said arms and above and below said openings, said cloth being soarranged as to present its edges to the wearing-surfaces of the article,substantiallyas described.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,this 29th day of July, A. D. 1901.

LOUIS O. GERKEN.

Witnesses:

GEORGE COOK, M. VAN Nonrwicic.

